Senior Chinese diplomat elaborates on East Asia regional cooperation

China emphasized the need for all parties to return to the original intention of constructive dialogue and cooperation, uphold the Asian security approach of shared security, seeking common ground while shelving differences, and resolving issues through dialogue and consultation.

KUALA LUMPUR, June 12 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Sun Weidong led a delegation to Penang, Malaysia, to attend senior officials' meetings of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-China, Japan, the Republic of Korea (ROK), as well as the East Asia Summit and the ASEAN Regional Forum from Tuesday to Wednesday.

Sun told the media after the meetings that this year's East Asia cooperation centered around the theme of "inclusivity and sustainability," reflecting the shared aspiration of regional countries to unite in cooperation, uphold openness and inclusiveness, jointly address challenges, and pursue common development. Participants exchanged views on international and regional issues as well as cooperation in emerging fields.

The Chinese side elaborated on its principled position on relevant issues, sternly refuted and firmly countered the U.S. attacks, smears and unwarranted accusations against China, Sun said.

Sun stated that the series of East Asia senior officials' meetings held in this round featured in-depth exchanges on deepening practical cooperation across various fields, advancing regional economic integration, and promoting the development of East Asia cooperation mechanisms.

He went on to say that at the meetings, China emphasized that all parties should pursue openness rather than isolation, cooperation rather than confrontation, fairness rather than hegemony, and win-win outcomes rather than zero-sum games. This is the shared choice of regional countries, Sun said.

China is willing to work with all parties to uphold the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, safeguard the fundamental norms of international relations and international fairness and justice, adhere to genuine multilateralism and open regionalism, uphold the multilateral trading system with the World Trade Organization at its core, and support the ASEAN-centered regional cooperation architecture. China advocates the Asian values of peace, cooperation, openness, and inclusiveness, and calls on all parties to unite in facing challenges and jointly build a peaceful, safe and secure, prosperous, beautiful, and amicable home, the Chinese diplomat said.

He emphasized that the Taiwan question is at the very core of China's core interests. There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China. This is a widely recognized consensus within the international community. The historical trend toward China's complete reunification is unstoppable and inevitable, Sun noted.

On the South China Sea issue, Sun said that China and ASEAN countries remain committed to properly handling and resolving maritime disputes through dialogue and consultation among directly concerned parties, and jointly safeguarding peace and stability in the South China Sea. China and ASEAN countries have completed the third reading of the draft text of the Code of Conduct in the South China Sea (COC) and are working toward concluding the COC at an early date. This fully demonstrates that China and ASEAN countries have the wisdom and capability to properly manage the South China Sea issue.

Sun said that certain extraterritorial countries, driven by unilateral hegemony and self-interest, have been stoking and intensifying maritime disputes, provoking bloc confrontations in the region, forming exclusive "small cliques," and continuously increasing military deployments. These actions are the biggest sources of disruption to regional peace and stability. China firmly opposes the introduction of Cold War mentality, geopolitical conflicts, and bloc confrontations into the region.

China emphasized the need for all parties to return to the original intention of constructive dialogue and cooperation, uphold the Asian security approach of shared security, seeking common ground while shelving differences, and resolving issues through dialogue and consultation. This will help advance East Asia cooperation in a deeper and more substantive manner, injecting greater stability, certainty, and positive energy into the world, he said.■